Due to heath and sanitation concerns, lavatory facilities, such as toilets and urinals, are routinely cleaned. Such cleansing not only precludes the spread of infections and disease in commercial and public establishment, but also prevents or reduces unpleasant odors in residential facilities. The routine application of deodorizers and disinfectants aim to maintain a fresh and substantially germ-free environment.
Typically, special toilet bowl brushes and cleaning solutions are applied to all surfaces of the toilet to perform effective cleansing. Generally, these cleaning devices include an elongated handle with a brush head or the like mounted to the distal end thereof. These heads enable cleaning inside the bowl and drain without physically contacting the toilet. One particularly unpleasant task, however, involves the cleaning of underside of the lip and rim portion of the toilet bowl. To reduce tactile contact, and required entry into the bowl, toilet brushes are often angled at the brush head which aids reaching such undersides of the rim. Moreover, the containers for the disinfecting and deodorizing solutions are also often angled or have “duck neck” spouts to achieve delivery of the solutions to the undersides of the rim.
Regardless of what chemical process or solutions are applied, some amount of physical scrubbing contact with the brush is necessary to effectively remove stains and deposits. Thus, after disinfecting and deodorizing solutions have been applied, the special toilet bowl brush is utilized to brush and scrub the bowl surfaces as mentioned. While this time tested technique is adequate to disinfect and clean the toilet facilities, several inherent problems with this arrangement exist. For example, once the bowl has been cleaned, the brush is typically rinsed or allowed to drip dry before storage or further use. Accordingly, any infectious germs which may have been collected on the tool are likely to remain in some part on the brush, and are likely to be transported along with the brush.
Moreover, this cleaning arrangement is potentially dangerous in that these toxic, liquid disinfectants and deodorizers pose serious heath hazards. Such cleansers, which are either acidic or caustic, are typically stored under the sink, and may be accessible to unknowing small children. In severe cases of scale removal, highly acidic concentrations of solution, containing hydrochloric or hydrofluoric acids, may be necessary. Such use requires additional safety gear such as protective gloves and protective eye-goggles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cleaning tool that reduces, if not eliminates, the transmission of infectious germs and from one location to another, as well as reduces the potential health hazards associated with liquid disinfectants and deodorizers.